When You Get to the Front of the Line, Know What You Want

You’re waiting in line to order food. It’s a long line. The menu hangs on the wall behind the register. It is impossible to miss. You also might be able to find the menu on the venue’s web site, using your  phone—where you most likely will direct your attention while you patiently wait. 

Consider a similar scenario. You’re in line for a popular sporting event. One person in a group has purchased tickets for friends and family with them. But when they reach the entrance, they’re still waiting for others. So the person with the tickets holds up the line waiting for the stragglers in their party.

What astounds me in the both of these scenarios is that when people get to the front of the line they aren’t ready to act. In the first scenario, they don’t know what they want. In the second scenario, they are not all together. In both instances, everyone behind them must wait. What have these people been doing with their time while waiting in line? Is it too much to ask that you have a good idea of what food you want, or that your group is ready to enter together? I don’t think so. 

The solution is simple: When you reach the front of the line, be ready to act. Know what you want. Use your waiting time purposely to prepare for that moment. The people waiting behind you will be grateful, and you’ll move through life more efficiently too.